New Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher busy trying to reel in recruits

New coach hitting the recruiting trail hard and fast

New Texas A&M University head football coach Jimbo Fisher talks during a press conference at the school's Hall of Champions at Kyle Field, Monday, Dec. 4, 2017, in College Station. ( Mark Mulligan / Houston Chronicle )

New Texas A&M University head football coach Jimbo Fisher talks...

COLLEGE STATION - Texas A&M has been a good football program since joining the Southeastern Conference in 2012.

"We're not interested in being good," new Aggies coach Jimbo Fisher said. "We're interested in being elite. We're interested in being great."

That's why Fisher spent about the same amount of time as it takes for a midnight yell practice (only a slight exaggeration) in his new town before exploring the big cities surrounding his new digs - the ones providing much of the talent to his program.

"It's extremely critical," Fisher said of the importance of recruiting to the success of a program. "At the end of the day, recruiting is the lifeline of your organization."

Fisher, 52, hasn't stood still since arriving at A&M on Sunday, save for a couple of hours on Monday for a necessary introduction to his new, anticipatory audience via a news conference/pep rally.

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"He expects championships," A&M athletic director Scott Woodward said of the coach he handpicked from Florida State, "and he expects to get it done in a hurry."

With the pleasantries out of the way and his bags still packed, Fisher has hit the road to Houston, Kennesaw, Ga. (visiting five-star quarterback Justin Fields), Dallas and Fort Worth, among other hot spots, according to 247Sports.

Cypress Spring four-star safety Leon O'Neal on Twitter described Fisher as a "cool guy" who "can sell a penny to anybody" following their visit this week. O'Neal, who had pledged to play for A&M under prior coach Kevin Sumlin, is exploring his options but might well come back to the Aggies before it's over with.

Sumlin was in the process of piecing together a decent 2018 recruiting class when he was fired in late November, and most of the class (currently ranked 18th by 247Sports) has stayed intact after the Aggies hired a man who won a national title at FSU in 2013.

Quarterback search

Fisher, who's in the process of filling out his coaching staff, is now charged with keeping the class together, or at least the players he's interested in keeping. Fisher is picky with his quarterbacks, which is why Cade Fortin of Suwanee, Ga., backed off his pledge to A&M this week. Fisher is going after Fields, the nation's No. 1 recruit and a pledge to Georgia, among others in his quest to find his type of quarterback to run his offense.

This recruiting season, which a high-revving guy like Fisher considers that most wonderful time of the year, comes with a twist. College football now includes an early signing period, which starts on Dec. 20.

"We've got to get on the road," an impatient Fisher said Monday while meeting with media covering A&M for the first time. "We've got to get to evaluating what we need, the players we need, the situation, how many of this, how many of that …

"You have to go out and get the kind of student-athletes who represent the core values that you want in your organization, not only in physical talent but the ability to represent and understand how to have the habits of a champion."

Recruiting results

Fisher isn't all chatter on the recruiting front; a glance at his last four classes reflects as much. The Seminoles ranked fourth nationally in 2014, third in 2015, third in 2016 and sixth in 2017, according to composite rankings from 247Sports.

By comparison, Sumlin's classes over the same span ranked fifth, 11th, 18th and 13th. It's not all about recruiting rankings, of course, it's all about winning, and Sumlin beat Fisher on that front this season (7-5 for A&M compared to 5-6 for FSU).

Still, Fisher won at least 10 games in a season, including the national title, in six of his eight tries at FSU. Sumlin managed that once, in his first of six seasons at A&M.

"Gone are the days when we settle for a good football team," A&M chancellor John Sharp said. "We expect to compete soon for championships."

A&M hasn't won a conference title since 1998 when the Aggies competed in the Big 12. Fisher will be tested right out of the gate, as the Aggies play powerhouses Clemson and Alabama in two of their first four games next season.

Fisher's recruiting, for better or worse, won't be evident in those games. That will be in full effect about 2020 - when the Aggies truly start having visions of championships.